Bent Paddle Brewing fights Silver Bay City Council over ban at municipal liquor store

Owners of the Bent Paddle Brewing Co. pushed back Monday night to the Silver Bay City Council which voted earlier this month to remove the beer from its municipal liquor store.

Bent Paddle is one of almost 70 businesses in the Downstream Business Coalition, which opposes copper mining in northeastern Minnesota, including PolyMet's project near Hoyt Lakes.

After the council voted to remove Bent Paddle from the store, other bars and stores followed.

Laura Mullen, one of four partners who own Bent Paddle, read a statement to the council, saying the brewer was prepared to lose relationships because of the opposition to PolyMet, but were surprised the council intervened rather than allow consumers to make their own choices.

The opposition to mining is "all about water," she said. "Water is our most precious resource, and those aren't just pretty words — ask the residents of Flint, Michigan, or drought-stricken California. These are places that put their faith into big multinational companies and trusted governmental oversight to protect them."

She said it would have been easier to sit on the sideline, but "we felt it our duty to add a voice of commerce to the debate that had been percolating."

Mullen said Bent Paddle understands people need jobs, but the risk to the resource is great.

She noted that Bent Paddle is pro-mining and supports traditional ferrous mining, is pro-union and has paid more than $1 million to union laborers. She talked about the brewer's commitment to its neighborhood and hiring in the community.

"None of this has been easy. Beer is often celebratory, bringing people together," she said. "We take a lot of pride in being a part of this region so it has been incredibly difficult to think of this issue dividing us."

As hard as it is, Mullen said Bent Paddle is proud of its stance. She asked the council to reverse its 3-2 decision. The council did not.

Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747

Twitter: @rochelleolson